


Envy

by half_sour_saffitz



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23298529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/half_sour_saffitz/pseuds/half_sour_saffitz
Summary: Leo is the man who did the impossible -- he defeated Gaea, found Ogygia again, and is taking Calypso back to the mortal world. There won't be any consequences when he returns, right?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso & Leo Valdez
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	1. If I Had a Type

Leo’s legs were shaking. It had been… hours? A whole day? Leo had been straddling Festus’ neck since they took off, and he couldn’t calculate how long that had been. Maybe it had something to do with the endless stretch of ocean below them that never got any less endless. Or maybe it was that the sun never seemed to get any lower. Sometimes it was over his left shoulder, sometimes his right, sometimes directly in his eyes, but never approaching or leaving the horizon. The only measure of time Leo had was the increasing soreness in his legs. 

Calypso, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease. She stretched and changed positions when her legs tired, like she was born to ride a dragon. 

_Born to ride a dragon_. If Leo had a type, that was it. 

Other than staring at the blue waves below and the blue, cloudless sky above, all the pair had to occupy themselves was talking. Calypso turned around gracefully to face him as they swapped stories. And the more Leo listened, and talked, and listened to himself talk, the more confident he became in his plan. He had spent many sleepless nights aboard the _Argo II_ talking with Nike in the hold, stressing about whether he was making the right choice. And even if his plan hadn’t worked, and Gaea had destroyed the world, leaving only this endless sea below them, Leo was pretty content to fly above it forever with Calypso. 

At first, it had been awkward. What do you say to a girl you knew for two weeks and made an unbreakable vow to rescue, an unbreakable vow that was impossible to keep and that you kept anyways? 

And what do you say to the guy who annoyed you for a fortnight and then sailed away on a raft that only appears for heroes you’ve fallen in love with? 

First, you talk about the weather. But since that hasn’t changed much in the past two thousand miles, you’ve got to branch out. 

Leo told Calypso about his friends first and their mission, the one from which he had taken a brief sabbatical to fall in love with her. After describing each crew member of the _Argo II_ in detail, and then Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge, Leo had to branch out. He told Calypso about Houston, about his mom, about growing up in foster homes. He skirted over the circumstances of his mother’s death but got into the hard parts about being bounced around, feeling unwanted wherever he went; the stuff he normally glossed over with jokes and quick subject changes. Leo felt like a patient cut wide open and left on an operating table when he was done. 

He didn’t know where to look, but when he eventually met Calypso’s eyes, his chest filled with an emotion so intense, he actually thought he was going to throw up.

“So…” Leo scratched his neck. “What about you?” 

Calypso tilted her head to the side. “What about me?” Her tone was light but Leo saw a wall build up in her eyes. 

Leo swallowed. “I mean, I basically revealed every embarrassing secret about myself, except for the fact that I wore Yoda underpants until I was fourteen. What about you?”

Calypso giggled and Leo’s chest inflated again. “What is Yoda?” 

Leo put his head in his hands dramatically. “You know what, I’m not sure this is going to work out. Maybe I should just bring you back -- Festus!” 

Calypso put her hands on Leo’s knees, which suddenly became Leo’s favorite body parts. “You will not return me simply because I lack knowledge of Yoda.” Her serious face broke into a smile. “I can learn.” 

Leo nodded. He couldn’t do much else with all of his concentration focused on the feeling of Calypso’s touch. 

She retracted her hands and leaned back, her face drawn in thought. How she was lounging, supported by her elbows, on a metal dragon flying at top speed, Leo didn’t know. But he didn’t mind looking at her while she did it. 

“My life is so different from yours. I must confess, I only understood some of your stories. It is hard for me to imagine _Houston_ , or a machine shop.” 

“I’ll show you both!” Leo blurted out. Whoa, offering to go back to Houston? He must be in love. 

Calypso smiled. “I would love to see it. I will try to describe my life to you, but I don’t know if it will make much sense.” 

Calypso spoke. She talked about Ogygia first, but, what with Leo having been there (twice, suck on that Odysseus), and the slightly awkward topic of ex-boyfriends, the subject was quickly concluded. Calypso went on to talk about her past, before her imprisonment. She spoke of her childhood, which Leo had never considered. Calypso had existed for so long on Ogygia that it was easy to imagine that she had always been there. But no, just like everything in the universe, Calypso started somewhere. She was born way back before any historian could have recorded. She spoke a little bit about her mother, Pleione, but focused more on Atlas, her father. 

Leo, who was a son of an Olympian god, still had difficulty wrapping his mind about the fact that Calypso was the daughter of Atlas. Atlas, who held up the sky as eternal punishment for his actions. The right hand man to the big bad in the Second Titan War. 

Leo had heard the stories around Camp Half-Blood of Atlas’ most famous battle in the most recent Titan war. Percy Jackson had voluntarily taken the weight of the sky so that Artemis could battle Atlas. Leo felt a hot flame curl up his spine. Percy Jackson. What was that guy’s deal? He just had to take the weight of the _sky_ \-- possibly an even more hero-y move than actually battling Atlas. 

“Leo?” 

Leo shook himself out of his thoughts. “Yeah -- what?” 

“You’re… on fire.” 

Leo turned to see that the flame he had felt creeping up his spine, which was supposed to be _metaphorical_ , had become literal, giving Leo fiery shoulder pads. 

He patted them out and gave Calypso a sheepish grin. “Sorry -- got distracted.” 

Calypso twisted a hand into her copper hair. “Yes. I apologize. I know talking about my father must be disconcerting for you. Whatever he was to your friends, he was my father first. I can’t erase that.” 

Leo felt like his head just did a 180 and immediately face-planted. How stupid was he? Making Calypso feel guilty for sharing her life. If that wasn’t bad enough, Leo hadn’t been thinking about what a bad guy Atlas was (which he totally was, for the record). 

Leo tried to brush past it. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You’re not your dad.” 

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Calypso’s expression was hard to read, but it definitely wasn’t a wow-Leo-you-are-so-amazing-let’s-take-a-long-weekend-in-the-Berkshires-together face. 

“No. I’m not Atlas. But I share a number of qualities with him. And I am not ashamed to be his daughter.” 

Okay. This was getting awkward. 

“Right. Totally. But we can agree that he wasn’t the best dude.” 

“I don’t know what a dude is.” 

“Oh!” Leo exclaimed, startling Calypso who physically leaned away from him. “You don’t know! You don’t know about the most recent war with the Titans. Yo, it was wack.” 

Calypso’s eyes were frosty. Leo desperately wanted to hit rewind on this whole conversation. He wanted to say that he didn’t care if she had personally incited the rebellion against the Olympians as long as he got to kiss her again. But, wisely, Leo decided against this line of reasoning. And it wasn’t true. A small part of Leo worried that he was transporting a girl back to a world where they wouldn’t fit together. 

“Actually, just because I do not understand what a “dude” is, or a “Yoda,” doesn’t mean that I am so tragically uninformed. I know what happened.” 

Leo kept his mouth shut for three whole seconds. It was pretty impressive if you knew Leo. “Well, you’re not like on a side are you? I mean… he killed his _daughter_. That’s, that’s your sister, right?” 

“I’m not a Hesperid.” 

“Okay, okay, sure. So like a step-sister. Maybe you guys weren’t like super close. But I mean come on! Dude killed his kid.” 

Leo held his breath as Calypso stared resolutely at the horizon to her right. When she turned back to him, the fire in her eyes was equal parts devastating and enticing. If there was anything Leo understood, it was _fire_. 

“You. Are. _Infuriating_. Can you fathom that I possibly don’t want to relive all of the misery and betrayal to which I am directly related?”

Leo felt so relieved that he almost laughed. He managed to choke it down. This felt more like their repore on Ogygia, when they had fallen for each other by annoying the ever living hell out of each other. 

“Okay, okay. I get it. I’ll drop it. I just, I mean, you’re not still on his side are you?” 

“I do not think you understand the concept of ‘dropping it’.”

Leo did laugh this time. Calypso seemed to be relaxed by the sound. 

“Look, Leo, we are very different. It will take time for us to see eye to eye. And believe you me, I know plenty about taking time.” Leo nodded. “And what I’ve learned in all that time is that ‘taking sides’ is a dangerous tendency.” 

Leo’s brow furrowed and he inhaled in order to rebut. Calypso leaned over lightning fast and put a single finger on his lips. She shook her head, but she was smiling. 

“We’re dropping this. Now.” 

Leo nodded. Honestly, as soon as Calypso’s skin touched his, he could not remember what he had been so passionate about. Jeez, talk about dangerous tendencies. 

“Okay, so different topic. Tell me about Earth before all of us mortals got involved.” 

Calypso smiled. 

“Well, when I was born, mortals were already around. But my uncle, Prometheus, had yet to give them fire, so they lived very different lives.” 

“Whoa! Back up, back up! Uncle Prometheus? You are not breezing over the father of fire! What was he like at Sunday dinners?” 

Calypso laughed. She did this cute thing where she covered her mouth with her hand, as if trying not to show Leo how amused she was. 

“Well… Prometheus was an interesting relative…”


	2. Crash Landing

Finally, the sun began to set. Leo tried to look at this as a good sign, although the sun had set in Ogygia and time really hadn’t mattered there. 

Both he and Calypso were yawning noticeably. How long had they been up? Leo couldn’t tell, but they had to sleep. Sleeping arrangements on Festus were awkward. Basically one person had to hug Festus’ neck and sleep hunched over while the other mimicked the position, but stretched on the back of the first person. Leo volunteered to sleep on Festus’ neck. He didn’t want to crush Calypso and he didn’t know if he wouldn’t ever fall asleep if he was using Calypso as a pillow. Conversely, having Calypso use him as a pillow was basically heaven. 

The pair slept peacefully for… well, time is difficult when leaving Ogygia. Leo could have slept longer, but Calypso woke him. He sat up groggily, and looked over his shoulder at Calypso. She was illuminated by the stars and looked so exquisitely beautiful, Leo decided that he had actually died and gone to heaven. 

“Leo!”

“Yeah,” he said, trying to shake off the sleep.

“Look!” Calypso pointed ahead of them, where a giant storm cloud swirled and cracked with lightning. Leo was shocked that the storm hadn’t woken him, because as soon as he saw it he felt the winds tearing at his clothes and the roar of the waves below.

“Holy Hephaestus!” Leo whooped with joy. When he looked back at Calypso she was looking at him like he had truly lost it. “That’s a hurricane!” 

“I can see that.” 

“Hurricanes gather strength over the ocean, but they don’t start revving up like that until they hit a down pressure system.”

“And?” 

“And! The down pressure system is coming from a land mass. That hurricane is about to make landfall. Kind of early for a hurricane, but whatever, this is great news!” 

Calypso didn’t say anything. Her hand left Leo’s shoulder. He craned his neck over his shoulder to see that tears were running down her face. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“You did it.” 

“What did I do?” 

Suddenly a smile brighter than the stars above burst through Calypso’s expression. She leapt forward and hugged him tightly. “Leo! You did it! You broke the curse! I am… I am approaching the mortal world for the first time in three millennia.”

Leo directed Fetus around the left side of the storm, staying away from the rain and most aggressive winds. Leo didn’t want to deal with any  _ venti _ without his trusty son-of-Zeus best friend. Thinking about Jason made Leo’s chest hurt. But it was a good hurt. They were going to land, and whatever land it was, they were going to cross it and get back to Camp Half-Blood. 

As they skirted the hurricane and the sun began to rise, Leo recognized a familiar jagged boot shape in the land below. It was hard to believe, but as they approached, there was no denying it. Leo’s heart changed from hurting about Jason to Hazel. 

“Hey Calypso, you said you wanted to visit Houston, right?” 

“Of course. Are we close?” 

“T minus 30,” said Leo as he changed Festus’ course by a few degrees. The Gulf of Mexico stretched out underneath them in the gray morning. The lights of Galveston blinked below. They crossed the bay, which was small pennies compared to the endless ocean in which Ogygia had been located, and Leo started to bring Festus in for a landing. Now that they were approaching mortal territory again, Festus seemed to notice his malfunctions more acutely. He has been damaged in the fight against Gaea. Something about the timelessness and immortality surrounding Ogygia had kept him from collapse. Now that they were back, Festus was struggling. 

Calypso cinched his arms around Leo’s waist (only mildly distracting) as Leo tried to rein Festus into a controlled landing. The predawn glow lit up a series of low warehouses and a large open area. Leo aimed for that when suddenly the sun bloomed over a pair of clouds, and illuminated the logo painted on the ground. 

Leo yanked the reigns to the left quickly, too quickly. Festus’ descent became less controlled. Calypso screamed his name into his ear but there was nothing left to do. 

“Hold on!” he yelled back and hit a big red button even his ADHD brain had never wanted to hit before. With a yank that probably dislocated all of Leo’s joints, the saddle detached from Festus and a parachute blossomed. Leo and Calypso floated away from Festus as he crash-landed in South Houston. 

Leo tried not to cry.  _ Anything can be fixed, anything can be fixed _ , he repeated to himself. He pushed his attention to the straps that controlled the parachute. 

“What in Hades was that!” Calypso yelled. “I thought you knew how to drive!” 

“Hey, I love that dragon, and I care a whole lot about our safety, but no part of me wanted to land in the middle of the Johnson Space Center.” 

“What is that?” 

“It’s one of the most well-guarded places on the continent. And I don’t trust those NASA guys not to try to capture us as proof of alien life.” 

“I understood approximately two sevenths of what you just said. But I am going to assume that it was not important.” 

“A safe bet,” said Leo. 

He brought them in for a touchdown. It wasn’t as graceful as he would have hoped. It was more like little kid gymnastics that got them both tangled in cords and canvas. Calypso got herself out first. Leo was still facedown on the ground, trying to understand how his ankle had been tied to his buttcheck. 

He finally got himself untangled and got to his feet. “Thanks for your help,” he grumbled. 

Calypso didn’t hear him. She was staring straight up with wide eyes and an open jaw. “The mortal world has certainly changed.” 

Leo followed her gaze and doubled over with laughter. He could understand why Calypso was unnerved. She was surrounded by a windmill, giant cowboy, waterfall, and the Eiffel Tower. 

“Don’t worry, Sunshine,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and trying to suppress his giggles. “We landed in a putt-putt course. The rest of the mortal world is… well, it doesn’t  _ all _ look like this.” 

Leo was desperate to find Festus but the pain in his stomach demanded to be taken care of first. Whatever magic had sustained them on their voyage was long gone and it was beginning to show. Leo’s limbs felt heavy and awkward. His mind was foggy and ADHD at the same time. But his hunger was all consuming. It was as if a black hole had opened inside of him and soon enough he would devour himself for sustenance. 

Obviously, Calypso was being uncooperative. She was having a full-blown freakout as the sun rose over Houston. 

“My hubris must rival the heroes of old if I believed that I could just wave my hand and jump back into the mortal world. We made a mistake, Leo Valdez. I am not meant for this world. You must take me back at once.”

“It’s an IHOP. You’re gonna survive.” 

Leo hunched over, hands on his knees, the only position that kept the raging monster in his stomach even remotely quiet. Seven minutes until the diner opened. He could survive seven minutes. 

“No. No. I was wrong to think I could leave Ogygia. Take me back!” 

“If you haven’t noticed, we don’t have a ride anymore. And the trip here almost killed us both. And it’s an island that no one finds more than once. I’m not pressing my luck by going there a third time.” 

Calypso knelt in front of Leo, pushing her face in front of his. He noticed how wild her eyes were. Like when a pegasus back at camp got really panicked. He felt bad, but he remembered that a sugar cube or two usually took care of the pegasi. Four minutes. Calypso could hang on for four more minutes. 

“But you are the man who did the impossible. You reached Ogygia twice. You can do it again. You can do anything.” 

“Pshh. Your womanly flattery doesn’t affect me!” Although Leo did feel strong enough to stand up straight. 

“Please, Leo.” She put both her hands on his hand, holding his jaw in her cool grasp. “This was a mistake.” 

“I don’t make mistakes,” he said, which made her roll her eyes. “Look, let’s get some grub, we’ll find Festus, and if you still want to go back, then we can talk.” 

Calypso looked up at the giant IHOP sign above the door warily. “I am not properly dressed for this meal.” 

Leo laughed which hurt his stomach. “What are you talking about? You look great.” 

“It is the  _ international _ house of pancakes! Is this not where leaders of your world meet to parlay?” 

Leo really laughed this time. “No, Sunshine. The leaders of the world do not summit at IHOP. It’s a chain. Honestly, if anything, you’re overdressed.” 

Before that comment could spiral out of control, a tired looking teen girl came to open the front door. 

“Y’all coming in?” she asked. 


	3. The International House of Pancakes

Leo had eaten practically everything on the menu before he felt the pain in his stomach recede. After nibbling on the edge of a waffle as if she expected it to explode, Calypso found that she could in fact withstand the trials of an IHOP and ordered six extra servings of fresh fruit. Leo figured this was the Calypso way of pigging out and he was proud of her. 

Leo sat back in his plastic leather booth feeling pretty satisfied. Sure, they were trapped in Houston without any transportation or help. But Leo was the man who had done the impossible. He had rescued Calypso from her curse and imprisonment. Whatever happened next would be a piece of cake. 

So Leo ordered a piece of cake. Unfortunately, their waitress brought it with the bill. Leo felt into the pockets of his magic toolbelt but figured the IHOP wouldn’t appreciate being paid in lugnuts. 

“Umm, do you take IOU’s?” Leo asked the waitress. 

She raised a solitary eyebrow. “We take cash, check, or credit.” 

“What’s going on?” asked Calypso. 

“Uhh, I don’t have any money.” 

“What?” Calypso looked totally confused. “Demigods are expected to provide compensation for their meals?” 

“Uh… yeah.” 

Calypso laughed. “That’s absurd.” She faced the waitress. “You have shown us great hospitality by welcoming us into this international house of pancakes. The heroes of Olympus owe you their friendship, feel free to inquire with us if you are ever in need of assistance.”

Leo and the waitress’ reactions were pretty similar: “Umm… what?” 

“I do not understand.” Calypso sounded genuinely frustrated. “This is how demigods were treated back in the old days.” 

“Yo, ma’am, I don’t know what a ‘demigod’ is, but I do know that y’all gotta pay for your food. Now.” 

Calypso was bewildered. “Is this how you speak to an immortal Titan?”

“That’s how I speak to  _ everyone _ .” 

Calypso rose to her feet. “I am the daughter of Atlas, second in command to his brother Kronos, Lord of Time. I was born before your race had even conceived of the idea of payment and I will not be insulted or cowed by a mortal with bold words.” 

Leo had never seen Calypso angry -- well, sure, he’d seen her angry at  _ him _ , but he was usually pissed at her as well. He had never seen her unleash her power -- he didn’t know that she had that type of power. He thought it was all nature magic and singing to plants. Now her eyes glowed, her hair and clothes moved in some invisible wind, the lights seemed to dim. Leo didn’t know what would happen next; would she pull a Jason and bring a lightning bolt through the restaurant? Would she emulate Nico or Hazel and tear a rift in the earth for this poor loser to fall into? No matter what way it went down, it definitely wasn’t worth getting on local news for. 

“Easy, tiger.” A man approached the conflict, walked up out of nowhere. He looked mid-twenties five with caramel brown skin. His curly hair was stylishly tamed in a way that Leo’s would never be. He wore simple clothes, a fashionable button up and jeans. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a number of bills. His eyes were storm green, just like Percy Jackson’s. 

Leo hated this guy, whoever he was. Leo hated the way he walked up to the situation, all calm and commanding, like he was going to fix everything. And then he fixed everything.

“Keep the change,” he said as he handed the cash to the server. Her eyes widened as she counted the bills and left without another word. 

Calypso had stopped glowing and swirling. Now her face was inscrutable. “Phthonus.” 

“Ff-thanos?” 

The man turned his sea green eyes on Leo. His lips curled in a slight smirk. “Almost.” His tone was the verbal equivalent of patting a small child on the head. Then he turned away as if Leo had never existed. “Calypso, could we have a word in private?” 

“Leo can hear anything you have to say.” 

The dude’s smile grew. “Why don’t you hear me out and then make that call.” 

Leo got to his feet. “Hey man, you’re not going anywhere with her.” 

Calypso sighed and rested a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Phthonus and I are… old friends.” 

“Don’t worry, Valdez, you will have messengers come for you as well. But I’m afraid my words only concern the Titaness.” He nodded his head again as he and Calypso walked over to a booth on the other side of the restaurant. 

Leo sat back down and sulked. He didn’t want to feel this way, but he couldn’t help it. What did Calypso mean when she said “old friends?” Was that code for old  _ boy _ friend? Calypso had lived for three thousand years, of course there were going to be other guys. Heck, Leo knew one of the other guys personally. But this guy… he was clearly the whole package. Polite, handsome, he could even pay for her meal! And obviously he wasn’t mortal. Sure, Leo had done the impossible and taken her off her island. But what if that gratitude was only that… thankfulness. What if Leo was the only one whose insides did somersaults when they touched? 

Leo remembered something Percy had said aboard the  _ Argo II _ . “The gods use us as pawns.” Man, Leo did not want to think about Percy right now. He could smell the smoke coming from his body as his emotions ratcheted up. But what if Percy was right? What if Calypso just needed a ride? She was an immortal Titan, daughter of one of the most powerful beings of all time. What could she possibly see in a puny, pathetic, poor-ass demigod like Leo. 

Leo got up from the booth and headed for the door. He wasn’t going to wait around for Calypso to dump him. He was going to find his dragon and go home. Back to being the jokester, the handyman, the seventh wheel among his friends. 

“Leo?”

Leo’s hand was on the door when he heard Calypso’s voice. He was torn between burning the door to a crisp and falling down sobbing. She put a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Leo, calm down. I’m here with you. I promise.” 

“How…” Leo’s voice was ragged. How did she know what he had been thinking? 

She sighed. “Come here.” 

They sat at a table by the door. Phthonus was nowhere to be found and Leo was able to clear his head. He was embarrassed about where his mind had gone and so quickly. He was even more embarrassed that apparently Calypso knew what he was thinking. 

“Do not be embarrassed. Phthonus is the god of jealousy.”

Oh. Well that explained it. 

“What he makes you think and feel when he is around, that is not real. Do not let it trouble you.”

Oh, it was  _ definitely  _ going to trouble Leo. But he didn’t want Calypso and her magical expression-reading powers to guess that. 

“Why was the god of jealousy visiting you?” he asked.  _ That didn’t sound jealous at all.  _

Calypso didn’t seem to notice or care. She studied her fingers with a look of unbelievable sadness. “Jealousy was a big part of my curse. On Ogygia, after a hero would… depart, Phthonus would come visit. I tried… I tried to release my jealousy and prevent his visits, but I never learned to control it and he would arrive when I was the most resentful.”

Leo put a hand over hers. “Well, you’re never going to have to feel that way again. That’s the last time Phtheron is visiting you. I swear on--”

Calypso moved quick as lightning and clapped her hand over his mouth. But she was smiling. Sad-smiling, but it was something. 

“Do not make a promise when you do not control every party in the equation.” 

That was actually some pretty sound advice, especially for a demigod with impulse control.

“Okay, I’ll leave the magical river out of this, but just so you know, I’m not going to leave you.” 

Calypso smiled at him and nodded. “It is going to take some time for my heart to accept this.”

“Well, you know all about taking your time.” 


	4. One thousand, eight hundred, twenty five days

It was easy to find Festus. He left a breadcrumb trail using his own body as the bread. They followed the celestial bronze wreckage until they got to the end, his head. Leo knelt to the ground and gently cradled Festus’ cranium. Festus’ eyes lit up for a moment and he tapped out a quick message before powering off again. 

“I love you too, buddy,” Leo said, hugging the metal head to his heart. 

“You speak dragon?” Calypso asked. 

“Basically.” 

“I am so sorry for your loss, Leo.” 

“What loss?” Leo bounded to his feet and nearly fell over. Calypso put a hand on his arm, concern emanating from her eyes. Leo tried to stand tall; he didn’t want Calypso thinking she had traveled all this way only to be latched to a clutz. “It’s not a loss. Just a temporary shut off for maintenance. His head is where all of the programming is. We only need this -- and we’ll search the wreckage for the crystal from your island. Everything else can be rebuilt.”

“Why would we need the crystal from Ogygia?” 

A smile curled on Leo’s lips. “I thought that you wanted to go home.” 

“And what gave you that impression?”

Leo took a breath for the performance of a lifetime. “ _ Leo! You must take me home immediately. This has been a HUGE mistake. _ ”

“That is not what my voice sounds like.” 

“ _ Leo, you are the smartest, wisest, handsomest man of all time. Only you could have the brains and brawn to take me home! _ ” 

“The wisest?” 

Leo dropped Festus as he spun in a complete circle. A woman had appeared next to them. 

The woman was tall and stern, with dark brown hair and a disapproving expression. 

“You dropped your dragon head,” she observed. 

Calypso dropped into a quick curtsey. “Lady Athena, you honor us.” 

Athena smiled briefly, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Now that one is wise. At least at this moment.” 

Leo bowed awkwardly. “Lady Athena… so umm, what can we do you for?”

Was it Leo’s imagination or did Calypso scooch away from him?

Athena regarded them with her cool gray eyes. “You will do something for me. Soon, I imagine. But now, it is I doing something for you. Your father has gotten word by now that you did indeed survive your death. He is pleased.” 

“Pleased.” 

“Divine law prevents him from interceding directly, of course, but he got you a … birthday present.” 

“A birthday present?” It was a little hard to imagine the bulky, awkward machine god putting on a party hat and telling Leo to blow out his candles. 

“Indeed. He asked me if I would deliver it for him. I consented out of love for my brother.” 

“And then you told him that showing favoritism was unwise and defying Zeus right at the end of the Titan War II is probably not the best idea.” 

Athena’s eyes glinted as she regarded Leo. “Actually, I think giving you this gift might be the wisest move yet.” Athena held out a simple key to Leo. On it was a tag with an address. 

“Virginia?” 

“I dare not linger more. Young hero, I advise that you get a newspaper. After that it might interest you to know that your friend Jason Grace is closer than you think.”

Athena began to shine and Leo knew to look away. He dropped his eyes to Festus’ head and knelt to pick him up as the goddess became her true unseeable-by-mortals form. With difficulty, he stuffed Festus’ head into his magic toolbelt. 

He clapped his hands and looked at Calypso. “So. Let’s get a newspaper?”

“But wait, your friend Jason is here?” 

“Yeah. I’m guessing that the hurricane was his fault. I told you it was too early for hurricanes!”

He and Calypso walked through the early morning streets together, looking for a newspaper stand. It was harder than movies would have you believe to find one. Leo took the extra time to think about how crazy life was. He was back in Houston with an immortal Titan. Life took some crazy turns. 

They found a stack of newspapers being delivered to a bodega. Calypso asked the delivery man if they could borrow one and he nearly tripped over himself to get her one. Then he gave Leo a confused look like, “You … and  _ her _ ?” Leo understood the confusion, but only grinned in answer. 

Calypso shook her head as she scanned the front page. “I do not know Leo. Everything in your world is so foreign to me -- I do not know what I am looking for. What is a stock market? And who is Elon Musk? Why is he shooting a robot horse into the atmosphere?”

“Because it’s awesome,” said Leo, grabbing the newspaper. His eyes picked over the front page but saw nothing out of the ordinary either. Then his eyes traveled up to the top right corner. Leo sat down on the curb. Hard. 

“Leo? What is it? What’s wrong?” 

“It’s…” Leo was having trouble breathing. He looked at his hands and then stretched out his legs. His ankles poked out of his pants by a few inches. He stretched his arms. Same situation. He patted his jaw. Stubble. 

“Holy Hades. Calypso… it’s been five years.” 

“What’s been five years?” 

“Since the war with the Titans, since the  _ Argo II _ , since I exploded and came back to life and landed on your freaking island!” 

Leo knew he was wrong to yell, but he was freaking out.  _ Five years _ . His friends had thought he was dead for five years. Half a decade. They were all… _H-E-double hockey sticks!_ They were in their twenties! Leo was in his twenties. In fact -- Leo glanced at the newspaper again to make sure he was correct -- he was a week away from turning twenty one. 

The world fell sideways. 

Calypso knelt beside him and rubbed his back. “It is going to be okay, Leo. You are going to be okay. It was only five years.” 

“Only five years!” Leo bounced back up. “Only! Easy for you to say. I had five years of my life stolen! I grew five years in a night! All of my friends thought I died, like, for real! They’ve had five years of life and I  _ haven’t been there! _ ”

Calypso sat up straight with her arms in her lap. “Yes. I have no conception of what you are going through, when I had three thousand years of my life stolen.”

Leo felt like crap. But he couldn’t comfort her when the plane of his life was spinning at ninety degrees. He hunched over and tried to breathe. How had he not noticed? He had been even more clutzy than normal _because his freaking limbs were longer_. His goddamn voice was deeper. 

_ Time is tricky here. _ That was what Calypso had always said. What felt like hours could be weeks. The time that they had spent on the back of the dragon, when the sun never crossed the horizon: five years. One thousand, eight hundred, twenty five days. A full presidential term and then some.

Who was the president? 

What had happened to the camp?

What had happened to his friends? 

What did they look like now? 

What did they do now? 

He had missed the end of the war. He had missed the transition from camp to life. He had missed the end of his childhood. He had missed…  _ everything _ . 

Tears welled up in Leo’s eyes and he curled his head into his knees, trying to make himself small.

Then he felt a hand on his back. A hand that reached into the abyss, and didn’t try to pull him out. It was just a presence that sat with him through the suckiness. 

Leo remembered back to those nights on the  _ Argo II _ . Five years ago… but to him it felt like days. During those last few nights he had made the decision to destroy Gaea or die trying. With the little hidden benefit that the blast might send him back to Ogygia. He had been willing to gamble, with his life as collateral, for Calypso. 

And he had lost. He had lost five years. 

But he had rescued Calypso. And he was still alive. And from the state of Houston, it didn’t seem like Gaea had succeeded in her plan to cover the planet in mud soup. 

Leo sat up with some difficulty and turned towards Calypso. She looked… blurry. He opened his mouth to apologize for snapping at her and to explain, in a calm rational voice that, of course, he had no idea what it felt like to lose three millenia, and that if losing five years felt like this, he couldn’t imagine Calypso’s pain. 

Instead a big choking sob came out of his mouth and he drenched Calypso’s shoulder in saline solution. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and said nothing, just sat. 

Talk about losing track of time. Leo didn’t exactly stop crying as much as his tears ducts ran out of tears. Slowly, he leaned away from Calypso, back to himself. He didn’t look at her; he couldn’t. He never let anyone see anything like that.  _ Never _ . When his mom died and the foster homes turned out to be a bust, whenever he felt like crying, he cracked a joke instead. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. 

“Do not apologize, Leo. I was careless in my remarks. You and I have experienced such different lives, but it was cruel of me to suggest that just because I have experienced tragedy, that yours is insignificant. Forgive me.” 

Leo couldn’t only stare at her.  _ She  _ was apologizing? 

Calypso retracted her hand and looked down at her fingers. “Perhaps…” She struggled, her face twisting as if tasting something bitter. “Perhaps we have rushed… perhaps your valiant heart and my captive spirit have conspired to make an unwise decision.” She laughed. It was the saddest sound Leo had ever heard. “Perhaps my preference for heroes will truly be the end of me.” 

Leo was confused. What was she saying? 

Calypso stood. “I can leave you be, Leo. You have a life to catch up on. I do not wish to stand in your way.” Calypso glanced around at the unfamiliar street, chose a direction, and began to walk away. 

Leo felt like he was watching a movie. The voice in his head screamed at the main character to get off his ass and go to her, grab her arm, kiss her, tell her there was no chance in Hades he was going to let her leave his side, that he would fly back to Ogygia a million times for her. 

But the main character just sat there, numb, while Calypso moved farther and farther out of his life. 

“What are you doing?” The voice was rough but it came out of his own throat. He coughed to clear out the gunk. “What are you  _ doing? _ ” 

He jumped up from the sidewalk and dashed down the street in the direction Calypso had left. At the corner he didn’t see her and started to panic. What would she do in the mortal world? She didn’t even know what money was! Or Yoda. Gods, how many Star Wars movies had been made in his absence?? 

Finally he saw her. 

“Calypso!” 

He could tell she was glaring at him, even at a block’s distance away. 

“You took your time,” she said coldly.

Leo laughed and wrapped his arms around her. “Time is tricky here.” 

When he looked back at her face she was trying to bite down a smile. 

“Look, here’s how it’s going to go. I’m not leaving you, and you’re not leaving me. We’re in this together.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Nope. You are not excused. Now come on. We have a very confusing Iris message to send.” 


	5. Welcome Home

“Fuck!” 

That was Jason’s first word to his best friend in five years. Leo presumed Jason had also made tearful declarations while standing over Leo’s grave or memorial or whatever, but the first word that Leo heard with his ears was  _ fuck _ . It cracked Leo up, enough that he didn’t start bawling again. 

The iris message was quick. Leo and Calypso had snuck back into the minigolf course to take advantage of the little rainbow being thrown up by the fountain in the center of the course. They were crouched over the spray and could only see Jason’s face. Jason’s face -- which looked like it had one of those filters set over it. His jaw was square and covered in a thick blond beard. His hair was cut short, with the celestial bronze bullet groove still in place. Leo picked up these details gradually, in bits and pieces, because, despite the early hour, Jason was clearly  _ busy _ . 

Dark shapes flicked in and out of the rainbow transmission and lightning arced through the background. Despite it all, Jason managed to find a quiet space. His eyes were teary as he beheld his dead best friend’s living face and heard the short version of the story. 

“You’re in Houston?” Jason asked, yelling over the roar of the storm. 

“Yeah, man!” 

“Okay, okay, we’ll come get you!”

“Okay!” 

Now Leo was excited. Jason and … who? Piper, obviously. Maybe Hazel, since they were in NOLA, or Frank because why not?? Maybe the whole gang was down south. The thought made Leo equal parts happy and sad. He could see all of his friends at once. All of his friends, fighting monsters without him. The tension made Leo squirriler than ever. He and Calypso reached their meet up first -- the Taco Bell on Rt. 78. It was tumbleweeds and cow pastures out here. Leo paced back and forth and jumped up and down. Calypso on the other hand, settled into a lotus position and merely watched him. 

“You’re gonna get along with Piper so good!” Leo informed her. “Piper’s exactly like you, like intimidatingly pretty but so chill and down to earth. And Jason is gonna be so hyped to see that we made it back. He’s not gonna believe that I rescued you from Ogygia so you’re gonna have to back up my story.” 

“Piper is intimidatingly pretty?” Calypso inquired with narrowed eyes. 

Leo screeched to a halt. “Umm, no! I mean, she’s okay. She’s the daughter of Aphrodite so it’s kind of in her genes. But like -- in comparison to  _ you _ , no contest!” 

Calypso dissolved into giggles. Leo felt a blush creep over his face. “Oh, I see what you did there. You manipulated me and my emotions for your amusement. Ha ha.” 

Calypso stood, still smiling, and took Leo’s hand. “It was too easy.” 

Leo rolled his eyes -- and in doing so saw four dark shapes descending from the sky. 

“Ahh!” He wordlessly gestured his excitement as three pegasi landed in the parking lot. From a distance, Leo could pick out Jason’s yellow head, and he mistook the dark-haired one for Piper. The third and fourth pegusi were empty, presumably for him and Calypso. It wasn’t until they landed that Leo realized with a start that Jason was not accompanied by Piper at all. Jason’s partner today was Percy Jackson. 

Leo didn’t want to feel bummed. Percy was his friend. He was one of the people that Leo had missed in the five years/days that he had been gone. And when Percy leapt off his pegasus and rushed to pull Leo into a tight hug, Leo felt even worse. 

“Dude!” Percy yelled. “Holy motherfucking oh my gods you’re  _ alive!! _ ” 

Leo laughed. “Yeah, I’m not so easy to kill.” 

Percy let Leo go so Jason could have his turn trying to break his bones. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Jason asked. 

That’s when Calypso stepped out of the shadows. 

“Hello,” she said shyly. 

Percy’s face went gray. His eyes darted back and forth between Leo and Calypso. 

“You were on Ogygia,” he said blankly. 

“Uhh, yeah, for the second time,” Leo told the asphalt under his feet. 

Percy said nothing, but the warmth in his eyes dimmed. 

“Umm?” Jason was confused by the turn of events. “What’s Ogygia?” 

“It’s my home,” said Calypso. “You must be Jason. I’ve heard so much about you.” 

Jason smiled and extended a hand. “Yeah. Who are you?” He cast a curious look at Leo. 

“This is Calypso,” Leo announced. 

Jason’s hand dropped. “Calypso?” 

“Yeah, dude, she’s--” 

“Daughter of Atlas?” 

“Yeah, but--” Leo drifted off at the sudden change in Jason’s demeanor. He was alarmed that Jason’s hand rested on the hilt of the sword hanging from his belt. 

Calypso raised his hands, palms out. “I realized it must be a shock for the heroes of Olympus to meet with a Titan so unexpectedly. I apologize for startling you. If it is any consolation, I have been removed from the mortal world for the past three thousand years. Any recent Titan activity has been done without my knowledge or support.” When Jason didn’t look entirely convinced, she continued, “and… it may further assuage any doubts to know that I have fallen in love with your friend. Leo rescued me from my prison, which only someone who has my heart would have been able to do. We may have been born on opposite sides of an age-old conflict, but my loyalty to Leo is unshakable.” 

Leo knew that Calypso had to be in love with him -- otherwise his raft would have never appeared the first time he left Ogygia. But this was the first time she had said the words out loud. It was kind of a bummer that she first said those words to Jason, but on the other hand, Percy looked distinctly uncomfortable. 

Jason sighed. “This is going to be complicated. You guys have been on this Ogygia place for the past five years?” 

“No, dude, we didn’t experience the last five years. It’s been like a few days since everything went down at Camp Half Blood.” 

Jason clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and seemed to be in physical pain. “We’ve got a lot to catch you up on. We should get going. Calypso, I trust Leo, so I’ll allow you to come.” 

“ _ Allow _ her?” Leo asked. 

“But--” Jason raised a hand. “If you skipped the last five years, there is a lot you don’t know. As you learn more, that dedication of loyalty you just made might be tested. I’m going to need you to swear on the River Styx that you won’t take any actions that would hurt my friends.” 

Calypso sadly shook her head. “I’m afraid I cannot do that. As any immortal will tell you, no promise is easy to keep over an eternal life.” 

“She doesn't have to make any promises!” said Leo. He was frustrated. This is not how his reunion was supposed to go. Why was Jason acting like this? Why was he so focused on Calypso? His best friend had just returned from the dead!

Percy laid a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “It’s okay, man,” he said quietly. “You don’t know her, but she’s good. Let her come.” Jason nodded and gestured to the pegasi. As they boarded up, Leo fumed. What was  _ happening _ ?? Jason would listen to Percy but not him? Jason wouldn’t let Leo’s girlfriend go anywhere without making promises? 

It seemed like the past five years were going to be a bigger problem than Leo thought.


	6. Chapter 6

After a while in the air, Leo realized that they were heading back towards New Orleans. Not that Leo had anything against letting the good times roll, but after the storm he had seen from the air last night, the place was probably submerged. Again. 

Leo pulled up even with Jason. Jason nodded but kept his eyes trained ahead. 

Leo scratched his head. “So… what are you guys doing in NOLA?” 

“We’ll talk when we land!” Jason shouted back, gesturing that the wind would make conversation too difficult. 

“Great, awesome, good to see you too,” Leo mumbled, pulling back. 

“Whoa!” Percy pulled hard on the reigns of his pegasus to avoid Leo’s sudden change of course. Leo blushed. This was not the hero’s welcome he had been expecting. This was more like business as usual. Leo, come along for the ride, pull out a dragon or something. Otherwise, leave the tough calls to the big guys and get out of the way of the pegasus.

“Hey man!” Percy glided next to Leo. Leo wanted to pull a Jason and pretend that he couldn’t hear him. But at least Percy was actually talking to him. 

“Sup,” Leo called back. 

“You rescued Calypso,” Percy said. It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. “That’s good, man. You did good.” 

Leo shrugged. 

“No, seriously. I…” Percy trailed off and Leo saw him giving the Texas-Louisiana border a death glare. “I promised her I’d set her free,” he said after a while. He looked over at Leo, met his eyes. “But I… procrastinated--and then my memory got wiped, and then we had to deal with Mother Earth and I was in Tartarus…” Percy trailed off like he had gotten himself confused. He shook his head. “I abandoned her. Like everyone else. I’m--I’m ashamed. But I’m glad that she got to meet someone like you, someone who would never forget about her. She deserves that.” 

Leo didn’t know what to say to that. He guessed he should be grateful that the greatest hero in three millenia thought he was a good guy. On the other hand, it was always awkward talking to your girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends. So Leo thanked Percy and tried to subtly move his pegasus out of talking range. He probably didn’t do a great job, but Percy didn’t follow him. 

When they landed in New Orleans, the sun was shining, the streets were dry, and nothing looked particularly wiped out of existence. It was like the hurricane Leo saw last night had never happened. 

They landed in a big courtyard in the middle of a huge, white stone house. 

“I knew it! I knew it! I  _ fucking  _ knew it!” 

Hazel came running out into the courtyard and hit him with a hug, or maybe a defensive-line tackle. He laughed and hugged her back. She looked good. She was a lot taller and he could see the muscles in her arms. Her hair was longer and wild and her face had changed too. As Leo looked at her he realized that Hazel had grown up, and had grown absolutely stunning. 

Hazel had tears in her eyes as she looked him up and down. “I  _ knew _ it,” she whispered. “I told them--and Nico told them, your soul wasn’t in Hades. But you blew up and you weren’t anywhere. Fuck, Leo. I  _ missed _ you.” She hugged him again. 

“I missed you too,” Leo said, his voice low and scratchy. 

“I couldn’t believe it when Jason told me last night--but it’s really you.” 

“It’s really me,” said Leo, looking down. Geez, he needed to get some new clothes. It was like his body kept expanding as it adjusted to this new timeline. His shirt was way too tight, his pants super short, and his shoes looked like a monster’s chew toy. 

But it would have to wait, because Hazel elbowed Leo in the ribs with a pointed look at Calypso. “Oh! Yeah, shoot. Hazel, this is Calypso, my… girlfriend.” Hazel looked so overjoyed that he thought she might lift off the ground. 

“It’s so nice to meet you!” 

“It’s nice to meet you as well.” 

“Come inside, it’s a thousand degrees out here.” Not only was it a thousand degrees, the air was so humid Leo thought he might be able to wring it out. Inside the house was mercifully cool. It looked like an old place, but regal. The kitchen was huge with stone countertops and a state of the art range. Several pots boiled and steamed. Hazel bent over them, stirring a few absently. 

“Have you become a cook since I left?” Leo asked. 

Hazel shrugged. “You know, potions and stuff. Gotta keep my skills sharp. Plus, we wouldn’t want to run out.” 

“Oh. Sure. So why are you guys down here?” 

Leo and Calypso took stools at the kitchen island while Percy and Jason grabbed a big pitcher of lemonade from the fridge. 

“We took a commission,” Percy said, like Leo should have any idea what that meant. “Venti have been plaguing this place since the war, so the governor wanted some half-bloods handy.” 

“Wait? What? Do mortals know about us?” 

Hazel laughed. “Not any more than before. But the ones who do are pretty eager to pay big bucks for some immortal assistance.” 

“Speaking of which,” said Jason, business-like. “We need to talk to Harry. He owes us this month’s fee. If we don’t get it by the weekend, I’m walking. The dryads upriver mentioned something about some sort of multi-headed sea serpent?” 

“Don’t look at me!” Percy raised his hands. Then he put them down and sighed. “On second thought, yeah, that kind of sounds like my thing.” He dragged his finger through the condensation on the counter, making a squiggly pattern. 

“If you want Harry to pay up, you’d better talk to him yourself,” said Hazel. She looked over at Leo with a smile. “I’m not here on commission. I’m just letting them bunk here while they’re in town.” 

“This is your house?” Leo asked, absolutely stunned. Half-bloods tended to worry more about making it to adulthood than putting down payments on houses. 

“One of ‘em,” said Jason with a smile. “Hazel’s been making a killing with her magic remedies and shit.” 

Hazel smiled modestly. “It’s not a big deal, really. It’s actually kind of stupid. Like, what use do gods have for anti-aging cream?” 

This was a lot for Leo to take in, but he hungered for more. He wanted to know everything about their lives. Every new piece of information he stored away carefully. 

“So where’s everyone else?” he asked. “Is Piper here? Or Frank? Where’s Annabeth?” 

Hazel and Jason exchanged a dark look while Percy became intensely interested in his water masterpiece. Hazel broke the silence first. 

“Umm, well Frank’s still in New Rome. Still preator. We, ah, we broke up. Long time ago.” 

Oh. 

“Shit. I’m sorry, Hazel.” 

She smiled warmly at Leo. “No biggie. It was … five years ago? Damn, yeah, almost five years. I love Frank. We just… we were kids, you know?” 

Leo did not know. He hadn’t gotten to experience the last five years in order to gain the kind of perspective that would lend itself to saying “just kids” with knowing wisdom. Leo was still “just a kid.” 

“And… Piper?” Leo asked nervously. 

Jason’s jaw muscle flexed uncomfortably beneath his beard. “Yeah. Same situation. Broke up. Long time ago.” It didn’t sound like the same situation at all. Leo didn’t need to be a mind reader or emotion reader to contrast Hazel’s genuinely at ease tone of voice to Jason’s  _ I’m gonna need to punch something about this later _ body language. 

Percy’s head bobbed up. He smiled. “Annabeth’s doing good,” he said, preempting Leo’s question. “She’s in New York, got some sick internship at an architecture firm. We’re… good.” Percy looked awkward as he tried to walk the line between assuring Leo that he and Annabeth were picture-perfect and not wanting to shit all over Hazel and Jason’s failed relationships. 

Jason stood suddenly, his stool scraping back. “We’d better hit up Harry before the scumbag leaves the office.” Percy stood as well and Leo shifted awkwardly in his stool. His heart re-inflated when Jason said: “Leo, you wanna come?” 


	7. A Little Busy

“So who is this guy?” Leo asked as they walked down the street. 

He had left Calypso with Hazel, who had assured Leo that they would have plenty to do.  _ More like Hazel is going to grill Calypso for every single detail _ . There were some details in there that would make Leo catch fire, but there were also some pretty proud moments that he wouldn’t mind getting around. 

Leo was borrowing clothes from Percy. Jason was too broad shouldered and tall, Percy was much more Leo’s body type. But man, the guy had no sense of fashion. Even now, at twenty-one years old, he was still dressing in orange Camp Half Blood t-shirts and cargo shorts. Which unfortunately meant that he and Leo were walking through New Orleans’ French Quarter like a matched set. 

“Harrison de Marquis,” Jason said. “New governor. Younger guy.” 

“You said he was a scumbag?” 

Jason shrugged. “Yeah, I mean--he’s a politician. Comes with the territory.” 

“So why are you working for him?” 

Jason gave Leo a curious look and shrugged. “Money is money. It’s not like we haven’t worked with unsavory characters before. Like--Harry is no comparison to, I dunno, Hercules, or Phorcys, or any of the gods and monsters we’ve done quests for.” 

Leo didn’t love what he was hearing. Jason was the greatest hero of the century. But now he just sounded like a loser, paper-pushing adult. 

Percy stepped in. “It’s tough, Leo. We aged out of Camp Half-Blood. Unless we want to live in New Rome, there’s not too many options for half-bloods.” Percy laughed ruefully. “No one made a plan for demigod adults, guess cuz too many of us don’t make it that far.” 

“Yeah,” Jason added. “It’s not like we have free housing anymore. Gotta eat.” 

Leo guessed there was a lot that they weren’t saying--especially about why New Rome was off-limits. But Leo didn’t want to push Jason anymore. He didn’t want to push Jason at all. He wanted to step back into their old best friendship. But apparently, that wasn’t so easy after five years. 

Jason led the way to an old brick building. It didn’t look like anything special, but inside was a buzzing hive of activity. Lots of college-aged kids--Leo-aged kids, Leo realized with a gulp--hunched over overflowing desks and talked on little, white bluetooth devices. Every surface was plastered with the same face--an average looking white guy with a strong hairline and a cheesy smile. 

“Ahh! My two favorite guys!” 

Leo spun to see the speaker and at first thought that one of the posters was talking. But it was the governor in the flesh. He marched over to them and took Leo’s hand in a crushing grip. 

“What did you guys bring me? A new recruit for my re-election campaign?” He dropped Leo’s hand and shot finger guns at him. “Harrison de Marquis, don’t forget to vote.” 

“He’s not registered to vote in Louisiana, Harry,” Jason butted it.  _ Or anywhere _ , Leo realized guiltily. 

“Oh,” Harry looked disappointed for half a second, then his smile came back with a slimy edge. “Is he…?” Harry looked back and forth between Percy, Jason and Leo, “... like you guys? Is he gonna step in for the girl? Harper? Pepper? What happened to her?” 

Jason stared at Harry with a stony expression. 

“We just came here for our check.”

Harry straightened up and grinned toothily at the volunteers nearest him--two girls in tight Harrison de Marquis t-shirts. They giggled. He gestured for the three boys to follow him to his office. He closed them off in a tight office. 

“You can’t say shit like that, kid,” Harry said. His voice hadn't changed--he was still relentlessly cheery. He even still had the smile. But something had definitely shifted about him. “Not in front of volunteers. They’re the heart and soul of the Governor Harry team.” 

“Whatever. We convinced those venti to beat it last night. But we haven’t even gotten paid for this month. We don’t work for free.” 

“Good for you,” said Harry. He leaned over and pulled four beer bottles from a minifridge on the floor. Jason and Percy accepted theirs without so much as a raised eyebrow. Leo tried to seem as cool when he took the one the governor offered to him. Harry was still talking. “I respect your character, kid. That’s why I want you around here. I know that you’re like me--looking out for the people.” Jason rolled his eyes. “But see, with the re-election coming up, funds are tight. I have half of your fee--but I had to redirect the other half to urgent campaign business.” 

“More posters of your face?” Percy asked, laughing at the signs. 

“This guy gets it!” said Harry, maneuvering around to his desk. “Look, you guys are good, but you charge and arm and leg. Let’s renegotiate our contract.” 

“No,” Jason’s tone was firm. He and Harry sized each other up across the desk. 

Finally, Harry looked away and shrugged. He sighed real big and made a performance out of slumping his shoulders. “All right, I get it. You’ve got mouths to feed, houses to heat, yada yada yada. It was nice getting a chance to know you, Jason Grace. Hope we run into each other in the future.” 

With a big handshake, Governor Harry shooed them out of the office. On the hot street outside, Percy was confused. 

“That was … weird. Did we just get fired?” 

Jason kicked the curb. “Yeah. I think so.” 

“Sooo,” Leo dragged out the word. “What now?” 

Now turned out to be party time. Jason and Percy took their half a check and brought back half a liquor store. Hazel invited the whole neighborhood. Before long there was a full-blown party in the courtyard. Leo watched from the third story bedroom Hazel had given him. 

There was a soft knock at the door and Calypso let herself in. He was happy to see her. Somehow an immortal Titan castaway was the most normal thing in his life. 

“Why don’t you go down to the party?” she asked gently. 

Leo sighed and stared at the party below. Hazel was on the grill, serving up burgers, hotdogs, and everything else that made Leo’s mouth water. A bunch of cool-looking college guys vied for her attention. Jason was sitting in the garden surrounded by attractive girls. Percy was on DJ duty. Tons of people that Leo had never met or heard of danced, ate, and generally had a good time. Leo had never felt more like an outsider in his life. 

“I don’t fit in here,” he said. “I’m still--I still feel like I’m sixteen. Percy, Jason, Hazel, they all moved on with their lives. I know they missed me, but they had five years to find a way to survive without me. The Leo-shaped hole in their lives is healed over.” 

Calypso sat on the windowsill in front of Leo, blocking his view of the picture-perfect party. She placed her arms on his shoulders and tilted her head to the side in the way she did when she was considering what to say. “How old do you think I am?” 

Geez, weren’t you not supposed to ask stuff like that?

“Timeless?” Leo guessed. 

Calypso did that trilling laugh that he loved so much. He moved in closer. Her knees parted around his waist. 

“Technically true. In human conventions of time, I am several thousand years old. Yet, I feel…” she drifted off, inspecting her the flawless skin on her hand. “Sometimes I feel as old as a grown woman, sometimes as young as an adolescent. When I’m with you, I feel the burning, wild sensation of being a teenager. It’s exhilarating and exhausting. When I’m with a god, I don’t consider age at all.” 

“So you’re saying I make you immature?” 

She laughed again and shook her head. “I’m saying age is relative. Especially for those of us with immortal blood in our veins.” She pinched Leo’s arm softly to show that she was talking about him too. “Do you know how old the oldest half-blood lived?” 

“Twenty-one?” Leo guessed, because that would be just his luck. 

“Five hundred thirty six. And do you know what killed him?” 

“The Hindenburg?” 

“Close enough. No one’s ever talked to you about what’s in store for the rest of your life, Leo. You were always so focused on making it through the next challenge alive, you never gave a thought to what that life would look like.” 

“That’s definitely true.” Leo knew there was something about the way ADHD affected your brain, making it hard to conceptualize things in the future. It was only made worse by the knowledge that monsters, gods, and titans existed and wanted to kill you. 

“You saved the world,” Calypso said, brushing a curl away from Leo’s face. “You got me off Ogygia. Gaea’s asleep, the Titans are returned to their prisons. You can rest. You can take a moment to think about what you want from life. Whatever it is, we’ll make it happen.” 

Leo loved the way she said “we.” And he thought there was a lot of wisdom to her words, but in the moment the only thing he wanted from his life was more of her. Leo rested his forehead against hers and rested his hands on her hips. She tilted her head up and their lips met. They didn’t join the party for a long time. 

When they did, things were getting wild. Most of the food had been eaten, but the alcohol was still flowing. The party was getting louder. Jason and Hazel were dancing in a big group, but they broke away when Leo and Calypso entered the courtyard. Jason had a big smile on his face, and Leo couldn’t admit how much it meant to him. 

Jason cracked open a beer for Leo and poured four shots on the bar. “To my best friend returning from the dead!” he crowed. Leo glanced nervously at the rest of the crowd--who he assumed were mortals--but no one was paying attention. 

Leo followed the other’s actions and threw the tiny cup of clear liquid back. He immediately gagged and had to force it down, tears springing to his eyes. Hazel and Jason howled with laughter. Jason tipped Leo’s beer back, forcing Leo to take a few long swigs. 

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Jason said gleefully, throwing an arm around his shoulder. 

By the fifth or sixth, Leo did feel like he had the hang of it. And he was having so much  _ fun _ . The lights were bright, the beat of the music bumped like blood. Calypso was beautiful. Jason was in a good mood. Hazel was the life of the party. 

Leo made his way back to the bar to pour another one. 

“Easy, cowboy,” Hazel appeared at his side. She looked a little blurry. 

“How old are you?” Leo asked slyly. 

Hazel stuck out her tongue. “Nineteen.”

“Wow, things must have changed a lot in the past five years! The drinking age got lowered!” 

“Shut up. I’m nineteen, but I’m also ninety-four.” She plucked the shot out of his hand and downed it without missing a beat. “Aaaaaaand--I’ve been drunk before. You sir, are underage--” 

“Barely.” 

“--and you’re a virgin.” 

“Geez, Haze, I don’t think people in  _ Texas _ heard you!” 

Hazel smiled wickedly. “ _ Alcohol _ virgin… among other types. Don’t over do it.” 

Suddenly, Leo did feel sick. He looked at Hazel like she was a whole new person. 

“What?” she asked, concerned. 

“Hazel--this is very important. Are you a…” 

Hazel rolled her eyes and glanced away at the dancing partiers. She held up one finger. “First of all--virginity is a myth created by the white man to keep women oppressed.” 

“Preach, sister.” 

Hazel held up a second finger. “And  _ B _ … no.” 

“I WAS DEAD AND YOU WERE HAVING SEX!” Leo yelled. 

Hazel doubled over laughing. When she came back up she looped her arms around Leo’s neck and kissed his cheek. “If you’re so upset, big guy, why are you here talking to me?” She threw a suggestive look across the courtyard where several dudes were asking Calypso to dance, offering to get her another drink, and being generally astounded by the titan’s aura. Leo felt bad for them. They didn’t stand a chance. 

“Having fun?” she asked, when Leo pulled her onto the dance floor. 

“Yup!” He jumped and waved his arms and generally danced like no one was watching. 

She smiled but there was something dimmer about it. Leo couldn’t understand why anyone was not having the absolute time of their lives but his feet slowed down. 

“Is something wrong?” he asked. 

Calypso shook her head and pulled Leo close, making him forget about--well--everything. 

Sometime later the party started to die down. People made their way out, leaving a mess of red plastic cups behind. Percy kicked his way through the crap with a grin. Leo couldn’t remember seeing Percy since he had been at the party, and despite the bottle in Percy’s hand, it was clear that he wasn’t as gone as everyone else. 

“How was your first kegger?” he asked. 

Leo couldn’t concentrate on Percy’s words. Calypso’s hand was in his back pocket. 

“Where were you, man?” Leo was in such a good mood, he even wanted Percy Jackson to be a part of it. 

Percy shrugged. “Annabeth works late, so the best time to talk to her is the middle of the night. We were Iris-messaging and the time got away from me. But you had a good time?” 

Leo nodded like an idiot. 

“Awesome,” said Percy. He smiled wide. “I’m glad you’re back. It was … we missed you.” 

Leo was glad to hear Percy’s words. But he suddenly realized that he had a lot to say--to Jason. Sure, meeting up again after all this time had been weird. Leo was wrong to fault Jason for that--for all he knew, Jason thought he was acting weird. 

“I’m gonna find Jason,” Leo announced. 

“Ahh, I think he’s a little busy,” said Percy with a crooked grin. He gestured behind Leo. Leo whirled around and saw that in a dark doorway off the side of the courtyard, Jason was indeed “a little busy”--as was Hazel. Leo suddenly felt all of the warnings about pushing his limits collect in his stomach and propel up his throat. 


End file.
